Brewery Ommegang’s executive chef may be a genius in the kitchen but he’s got a lot to learn about Valentine’s Day. Rather than making reservations for a night out or planning a quiet evening at home with him slaving in the kitchen, Chef Evan Brown is putting his sweetheart to work at Café Ommegang.

“I love cooking with her and I’m definitely not in trouble for asking her to work on Valentine’s Day,” said Brown, smiling. “This is my gift to her; getting her back in a professional kitchen for an evening. And of course flowers and a nice bottle of wine.”

Chef Evan enlisted the help of his wife and co-New England Culinary Institute alum, Siu Trang, to create a delicious menu for couples to enjoy on Valentine’s Day. The pair, who has previously worked together in several restaurants, is excited to share their love of food with guests attending this special event.

The evening begins with a beer tasting at 6:30 PM followed by dinner at 7 PM. Reservations are $125 per couple and may be purchased in person at the Brewery Ommegang gift shop or by calling (607) 544-1800 ext. 832. GBDGF dinners sell out quickly so please call early to reserve your seats.

Seven of Chicago’s hottest chefs will compete for culinary honors at Brewery Ommegang and SAVEUR Magazine’s Hop Chef Chicago culinary competition. Cleetus Friedman of Fountainhead,Cosmo Goss of Publican Quality Meats, Tim Cottini of Fork, Jacob Saben of Graham Elliot Bistro, Alex Ageneau of Paris Club, Craig Fass of The Bad Apple and Rick Gresh of David Burke’s Primehouse will battle for the title of Hop Chef Chicago July 1 at 7:00 pm at Paris Club. Meet the chefs here.

Each chef prepares a dish paired with an Ommegang ale, then presents and defends their dish to a panel of local and national food critics including Shelley Young: CEO of The Chopping Block, Ray Daniels: Founder of Cicerone Program, Chris Gerber GM at the Aviary, Laura Sant: Assistant Digital Editor and more…

Hop Chef Chicago tickets are $60 before July 1 / $75 at the door. Admission include tasting dishes and open bar, with a portion of proceeds going to support Common Threads.

When it comes to the world of beer-loving chefs, we got a chance to sit down with one of the greats: Nelson Perkins, our host for a chefs only, industry dinner on June 24th at Colt & Gray in Denver, CO. Check out the mouth-watering menu here. Read on for the low-down on this inventive master de cuisine, but if you long for the cliff notes: he’s classically trained, a super-serious force in the world of agriculture and his mentors are as motley a crew as the band from the 80′s. Oh, and he really, really digs his family. Commence the internet-wide “Awwwwwwww.”

Nelson, a native of Colorado, spent 15 years in the securities brokerage business before packing up his young family and moving to New York to attend the French Culinary Institute. Nelson graduated among the top of his class, earning the Grand Diplome de Cuisine, then spent time following graduation interning, trailing and working at a number of acclaimed New York restaurants including Blue Hill. Nelson is an appointed member of the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crops Advisory Board.

Nelson credits years of travel, cooking, adventure and time spent on his family’s ranch with forming his gastronomical tastes. His food philosophy is to use the best available ingredients and treat them gently.

Nelson and his wife Allison opened Colt & Gray (named after their two oldest children – Coulter and Grayson), in August of 2009. Nelson is forever thankful to Allison for her support in allowing him to chase this dream.

Why is the pairing of food & beer important to you? Beer simply pairs really well with food. It holds up to bold flavors but doesn’t mask more subtle flavors. Beer is incredibly versatile in its ability to pair with food.

What got you started on pairing food & beer? A beer dinner we were asked to do with a local brewer. The rest is history.

What are some of your favorite pairings?We like to make pasta and add dry hops to the dough which we then pair with any beer made with little or little or no hops. It is great to see how the hops from the pasta completely change the beer.

Favorite style / beer to pair with? Too hard to say, they are so different and bring so many different characteristics to the party.

Favorite all time beer? Any big hoppy pilsner.

Feature dish in which you pair beer with food or use beer in preparing the dish? Pig Skin Pasta with Octopus, Nduja, Fennel, Tomato & Fried Capers with Brewery Ommegang Hennepin

Thoughts on the future of food & beer in fine dining?Beer & cocktails are quickly becoming staples in fine dining establishments because of the diversity they bring. They will never replace wine but they are certainly taking part of their market share.

Favorite restaurant in a city not your own?Way too hard to say just one, but let’s go with L’epi Dupin in Paris for the fun of it!

Season the shoulders with salt, pepper, cayenne and flour and brown thoroughly. Remove the shoulder and sweat celery root, onion, fennel and garlic.

Deglaze with cognac, and balsamic. Add tomatoes, return pork to the pan and just cover with beer and chicken stock. Cook at 325 degrees for about 4 hours or until the meat is very tender. Let cool in cooking liquid for 2 hours.

Remove pork and strain the liquid discarding the vegetables. Make the sauce by reducing cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper and mount with a little butter. Taste the sauce and add some fresh beer if the sauce tastes flat or needs more beer flavor.

The drool-worthy line-up of Boston-area chefs, including Andy Husbands of Tremont 647, Michael Lombardi Jr. of The Salty Pig, Josh Smith of Franklin Cafe, Josh Harrison of Publick House and Brian Young of Citizen Public House will each create one dish showcasing their imaginative beer and food pairing skills. The dishes, all paired with Ommegang ales, will be served sustainably on beautiful VerTerra dinnerware to a panel of judges, and to all attendees, to taste and score. As it all goes down, great beer will partner with great food to help out a great cause: a portion of proceeds from Hop Chef Boston will benefit the Boston Center for the Arts.

In the weeks leading up to Hop Chef, follow the action on Twitter with #HopChef as chefs taste Ommegang beers and create their competition dishes – all with a some inevitable smack-talk.

While it’s true that the fierce #HopChef competition is heating up kitchens all over Philly, this clip proves that in the end… all’s love in beer and food.

Watch Chef Lucio Palazzo of La Calaca Feliz (also known as the face behind the Team Lucio tee) and Chef Eli Kulp (also known as the leader of Philly’s finest R&D Ninjas) as they put their smack-talk aside – joining together to feed Mike Jerrick on Good Day Philadelphia.

Hop Chef Philadelphia is happening next Tuesday, April 23 at 7PM at Union Transfer. Tickets are $53.50 with a portion of proceeds going to support Mural Arts Program - with efforts supporting Groundswell.

Delicious food. Fine Belgian-style Ales. One unforgettable night. Cafe Ommegang’s next Great Beer Deserves Great Food dinner will be held on Saturday, May 11th at Café Ommegang and will feature a menu by Chef Travis Yuen of ALEWIFE NYC located in Long Island City and WEST 3RD Common located in NOHO in Manhattan.

This seated dinner starts at 7:00pm and features 5 courses made by Chef Travis to pair with 5 different Ommegang beers. Guests can expect a fun night with some of the world’s best beers presented by a top quality New York Chef.

Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at the Brewery Ommegang Gift Shop. Call 607-286-4090 between 12 noon and 5pm for reservations.

If you’ve been looking for the perfect day to visit Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, your search is over. Cafe Omemgang’s next Great Beer Deserves Great Food dinner will be held on Friday, April 19 at Café Ommegang and will feature a menu by Chef Teddy Folkman, one of the country’s most talented advocates for beer and food pairing.

The event begins at 7:00 PM with a tasting of Brewery Ommegang and Duvel beers followed by a seated, five-course dinner after which Chef Folkman will meet with guests. Seats are limited for the Belgian inspired feast. Tickets cost $75 and are available now at the brewery gift shop or by calling 607-280-4090.